Stay in Madrid or Toledo?

Ellen,
My wife and I are booked Christmas week for Madrid and Toledo and we are basing out of Toledo. It is definitely a better value hotel wise. Whether it will fit our travel style is yet to be determined but we obtained a good price for a good 3 star hotel(70 euro/night). We too wanted to take it a little slower.

Forgive me I mispoke on the price. It was actually 62 us dollars.

If you stay in Toledo, do you plan to go to Madrid for 2 or more days? That would be a pain, but if you want to stay in Toledo, but go to Madrid for one day, that would make sense. If you want more time in Madrid, then stay in Madrid. I have stayed in Toledo and done a "day trip" into Madrid, which worked fine. Also note that as far as I know there is no direct train or bus Toledo to Segovia. You will have to change in Madrid. Not that big a deal, but adds some time to your trip.

5 days - is that 5 nights? If so, consider splitting. 2 in Madrid (3 if you want to go to Segovia - do that on a Madrid day) and 3 in Toledo (2 if you're doing Segovia from Madrid),

Toledo is worth at least one over night or two at the most. I would not base from it because of the limited transportation options. From Madrid you could easily day trip to both Toledo and Segovia.

I found hotels in both Madrid and Toledo to be VERY cheap compared to other European cities of comparable size, so I wouldn't choose where to stay based on price alone.

I agree that going back and forth every day would be tiring, and there's the added problem that trains from Toledo only go to Madrid; to get anywhere else, you have to change, in the large and complex Atocha station (trains leave from Atocha on two different levels). A better plan is to stay in Madrid with an overnight in Toledo in the middle; that way, you Madrid hotel can hold your luggage, and you just need to to take an overnight bag to Toledo. Just don't go to Toledo on a Monday, when many things are closed (a mistake I made on my first trip there, in 1995, but managed to avoid on this trip).

If you're looking for an inexpensive hotel in Madrid, I just stayed at the Hostal Acapulco and recommend it (found it in Rick Steves, but it's in many other books and websites). It was €53 per night for a single with ensuite bathroom, and there's an elevator. It's not on a noisy block, but is very central. http://www.hostalacapulco.com/

If you want to stay in Toledo, I used the Hotel Santa Isabel, and again recommend it. It was €30 per night, and again there was an elevator and ensuite bathroom. http://www.hotelsantaisabeltoledo.es/Inicio/w/en-US

If these are not suitable, note that hostal in Spain is not a hostel, but a pension-like small and modest hotel. These are the places with good prices and values.

As for turning in early, just how early did you have in mind? If it will be before normal Spanish dinnertime, which is quite late, I can give you tips about finding food earlier. And if you've read about Spanish dinner hours and think they're exaggerated, they're not. The "standard" dinner time is 10 PM; if you arrive at 9:30 PM, you beat the rush (yes, really). The same is true of lunch: if I got to a restaurant at 1:30 PM there was no line, but there was a line by 2 PM for popular places.

What month are you going? If it's low season, Toledo is pretty dead after the Madrid day-trippers leave. Most restaurants are empty if they aren't closed. On the other hand, Toledo is much nicer early mornings and evenings without the day-trippers, so it makes sense to stay at least 1 night there. Segovia's in the opposite direction from Madrid, so you won't want to make a day trip from Toledo.

On the other hand, I wouldn't want to commute from Toledo to Madrid. You have to get from your hotel to the train station, then once in Madrid you have to take the metro to wherever you want to sightsee. Long days in busy Madrid and no possibility to duck back to your hotel for a mid-day rest or a change of clothes before dinner. There's an 7.55 am train from Toledo, the next one is at 9.25 and then once an hour or 2 hours. You can see the train schedule at renfe.com. There are no early trains on weekends. The first train from Toledo is the 9.25. You may need to book in advance for early morning trains since there are probably a lot of local commuters heading for work in Madrid. A one-way ticket is €12.90; it's €20.60 for a round-trip ticket, plus €1.50 per metro trip.

Madrid....the Hostal Acauplco mentioned in an earlier post here is a great one...good location and well maintained. One block off Gran Via, and a block or two from Puerta del Sol....And the hotel next door has a great breakfast at the counter as well...tables can be used also.

Toledo. Hostal Posada de Manolo, near the cathedral (great reference point to locate when you are walking and exploring) is my choice. Have stayed there four or five times. Great breakfast overlooking the Cathedral as well. Inexpensive and the hosts are fantastic.

I would recommend staying in Madrid for most of the trip. An over night, or two nights in Toledo. The city changes when the day tourists leave, and the experience is one of the best in Spain. Lots to explore and amaze as well. I go there solo or with friends and enjoy each visit.
The AVE trains run often, 25 minute trip No other stop from Atocha.

Segovia. Have been there and think a full day is sufficient for the main attractions. The acqueduct as you enter the town....just look at it and be impressed. then up the hill to the Cathedral and down the other side to the Alcazar...one hour or so there...get your admission ticket at the white building on the left as you enter the area. Might want a taxi back to the Cathedral as it can be a steep climb. Well worth a full day...get there via bus.

Enjoy the trip!

If you have four nights only, I would spend all four in Madrid.
If you have five nights, then I would split them - 2 in Toledo and 3 in Madrid.
The neighbourhoods of Madrid can have an intimate feel. Make sure you are away from bustling Paseo de la Castellana.

Thanks to all for your helpful input. As it turns out, I will only be able to go for four days in total, so I will stay in Madrid, most likely in an Airbnb apartment.

If you do expect to turn in early in Madrid, there are good options for eating dinner. Many more tourist oriented restaurants do open by 8:00 or 8:30 (and aren't crowded then). Tapas are available at bars and cafes at a time most Americans consider dinner time and one can easily fill up on those if you don't expect a huge heavy meal. Spanish eat lunch late too, 2:00 instead of noon so that makes it easier to not be as hungry for dinner. And in Madrid, Casa Mingo is a great roast chicken place with a lot of history and excellent food. And they are open throughout the evening. Be warned though that it is all roast chicken, don't go if you want something else.